On Tuesday, even the opposition establishment media had to concede that Attorney General Jeff Sessions emerged from his Senate Intelligence Committee hearing virtually unscathed.

Much to the dismay of left-wing Democrats and their allies in the legacy press, Sessions shot down the notion that he somehow colluded with Russians during the 2016 election. He swatted away theories that he recused himself from the collusion investigation because he may have done something wrong. He displayed just the right amount of righteous indignation in defending his honor to come across as a trustworthy figure.

As former CIA counterterrorism official Philip Mudd, who has viciously criticized President Donald Trump and his administration, conceded on CNN, Sessions “wins this round.”

“He didn’t lay facts on the ground that could be disputed,” Mudd said. “I didn’t see anything today that suggested that Sessions did anything illegal. I think he wins this round.”